This is worth reading, both to reaffirm how persistence can be the big difference between a published and an unpublished author, as well as seeing a few subtle ways to improve your chances as you
This is Brandon Sanderson’s history as a writer, from the very beginning, through various incarnations of Mistborn and plenty of other manuscripts that have never (and never will) see the light of day, to getting a surprise call from Tor when they wanted to publish Elantris.
One of the biggest things I took away from reading this is that it’s worth your time to revise a story. Don’t just send it out in that first-draft form (or often, even the second draft as well) because the likelihood of it being quality enough to be picked up at that point is slim. Put in the time and effort to improve your skills and the story, and it will pay off eventually. Don’t forget that all the years you might wait until your first book comes into print should be years spent as an apprentice to the craft. Don’t waste the days sitting around, doing nothing while waiting for an agent to call. Keep writing. Revise. Write more. Get feedback and revise more. Sharpen that pen nub until it could slice pixels. This way, when the break does come, when the book does make its way to the shelves, you will be all the more prepared to write something even better the next time.
I see that smile.
Very interesting, Brandon Sanderson’s post. Thanks for that, and for your thoughts.
I have indeed continued writing, improved my skills, tightened up the prose and made my story better without losing its integrity, all while waiting for a yes or no. Unfortunately, that also means The Requesting Editor Who Shall Remain Nameless and Will Not Say Yes or No has a two-and-a-half year old draft that pales next to this one. I am not amused.
I continue onward. That’s all we can do, yes?
Glad to hear you have kept on the path. All the waiting is rough, I know. Have you contacted him/her any time recently, just to say hi and prod his/her memory? Still, sometimes it is best to move on.
Don’t give up.
I have contacted him three times over the entire two and a half year period, by emails that did get to his inbox, and all I asked was if he still had my novel. I made it very clear that I didn’t expect any specific updates or detailed information because such things can be legally dicey when there isn’t any kind of deal yet. Just DO YOU STILL HAVE IT, or did I simply miss a rejection in the mail. Nada, zilch, nothing.
What really gets under my skin is that he requested the manuscript, then saw me at a convention a month later, walked right up, and let me know he had it on his desk, a pretty cool thing. I knew he couldn’t get right to it then because he was heavily into edits (he had five novels out that next summer), and I had no beef with that at all. No problem.
Yes, like you said. Best to move on. 🙁